The death toll in the hooch tragedy in Kallakurichi district rose to 61 with two more persons losing their lives at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital in Salem and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in Puducherry on June 26.AIADMK MLAs submitted a petition to Governor RN Ravi seeking a CBI probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy hours after they were evicted en masse from the assembly on Tuesday for trying to raise the tragedy during the question hour and barred from attending the proceedings for the rest of day.
Chief minister MK Stalin said that the assembly had already debated the issue in detail, where he had elaborated on the action taken so far. “Twenty people have been arrested so far in connection with the hooch tragedy,” Stalin said, adding that the case has been transferred to the CB-CID and a judicial probe has been ordered. He attacked the AIADMK for indulging in such activities as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led coalition had a landslide victory winning all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone seat in Puducherry.
Municipal administration minister K N Nehru moved a resolution seeking suspension of the Opposition members for the rest of the session, but Stalin intervened to make it only for a day. “The speaker was forced to evict them from the assembly. I requested the Speaker to allow the Opposition to be present for the discussion on Kallakurichi. The Speaker accepted my request but they are still creating disturbances,” Stalin said. Stalin criticised AIADMK’s demand for a CBI probe. “I want to remind the AIADMK that the current opposition leader, Edappadi K Palaniswami, faced a CBI probe against him ordered by the court when he was the chief minister. At that time, he blocked it, saying he had no trust in the CBI. Now, the same people are asking for a CBI probe in this case,” he added.